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Van Buren Elementary students just write it

A new Writing Academy at Van Buren Elementary aims to bolster student confidence in writing

By Shelley Widhalm Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
02/27/2013 09:32:05 PM MST

Van Buren Elementary School fourth-grader Adam Nolin, 9, left, gets help with a writing exercise from Katie Johnson during a Writers Academy workshop last Saturday at the school.
(Steve Stoner)

Thirty-five Van Buren Elementary School students are voluntarily extending their school week to Saturday just to write.

The students are part of a pilot program Feb. 9, Feb. 23 and this Saturday called the Writing Academy.

The academy aims to bolster student confidence in writing, while also improving the school's low writing scores on standardized tests for the third through fifth grades.

For 2 1/2 hours, the students engage in various writing activities in small groups in seven different classrooms.

"It's providing students with a nice complement to what's happening in the school day," said Rebecca Marsh, school principal at Van Buren, adding that the academy both enforces and enriches what students are learning in the classroom.

Teachers invited students to attend the academy based on their writing scores and needs for learning, including extra practice, motivation and belief in their skills, said Cheryl Williams, instructional coach. Most of the students wanted to attend, representing one-fifth of the student population, she said.

The students work on specific writing skills that includes grammar and the parts of speech, and engage in activities involving writing, such as sorting words into nouns, verbs and adjectives. They practice writing using a writing prompt, planning and organizing their thinking to write a paragraph with a topic sentence followed by supporting sentences and additional details or reasons.

"We stress the importance of staying on topic and making it clear to the audience," Williams said.

Fourth-fifth-grade teacher Mimi Macmaster wants to help her students "jazz up" their writing with adjectives and descriptions, adding length and explanation to what they write.

Some students are shyer and afraid to raise their hands to answer questions in class, whether it's about writing or another topic, but the smaller group setting allows them to have a turn, said Terri Bellinghausen, a third-grade teacher at the school.

"They need just a little extra support to help them realize what great writers they are," Bellinghausen said.

Anna Perea, a fifth-grader, wanted to be part of the academy to improve her writing, as well as her grades.

"You get to have fun with words. You get to learn more of the words," the 10-year-old said. "You get to learn the hard ones and how to spell them."

Fifth-grader Brookelynn Overmiller said she's making fewer mistakes in her writing because of the academy.

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